Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Port Moresby Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Port Moresby

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 58.7% cheaper than Port Moresby without rent, and 28.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 36.1% cheaper than Port Moresby without rent, and 58.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.32 PGK 44.06

$9.45 PGK 40.37

9.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 PGK 240

$48.31 PGK 206

16.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 PGK 25.46

Cappuccino

$2.83 PGK 12.09

$2.34 PGK 10.00

20.94%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 PGK 3.73

$0.80 PGK 3.42

8.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 PGK 2.51

$0.84 PGK 3.57

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 PGK 15.72

$2.37 PGK 10.14

55.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 PGK 25.32

$4.03 PGK 17.21

47.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 PGK 8.99

$1.99 PGK 8.51

6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 PGK 6.72

$1.62 PGK 6.91

-3.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 5.95

$1.56 PGK 6.66

-10.90%

Eggs

$4.34 PGK 18.54

$3.75 PGK 16.03

15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 PGK 43.78

$4.54 PGK 19.39

125.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 PGK 42.21

$6.20 PGK 26.49

59.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 PGK 48.74

$9.34 PGK 39.87

22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 PGK 20.74

$4.02 PGK 17.18

20.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 12.99

$2.93 PGK 12.51

3.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.54 PGK 27.91

$5.59 PGK 23.87

16.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 PGK 7.34

$5.64 PGK 24.06

-69.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 PGK 16.32

$3.33 PGK 14.20

14.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 PGK 10.58

$2.76 PGK 11.79

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 PGK 3.16

$2.98 PGK 12.73

-75.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 PGK 4.22

$1.28 PGK 5.44

-22.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 PGK 30.14

$6.93 PGK 29.61

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.89 PGK 55.1

$11.64 PGK 49.71

10.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 PGK 11.64

$2.89 PGK 12.33

-5.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 PGK 19.45

$3.72 PGK 15.89

22.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 PGK 1.59

$0.46 PGK 1.97

-19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.41 PGK 104

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 PGK 25.00

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 PGK 10.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.00 PGK 72.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 PGK 4.93

$1.08 PGK 4.60

6.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.4K PGK 95.7K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.9K PGK 106.5K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$107 PGK 458

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$48.43 PGK 207

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$382 PGK 1,633

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.3 PGK 287

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.31 PGK 86.7

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 PGK 39.92

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$641 PGK 2,737

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,039 PGK 17.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.46 PGK 134

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.77 PGK 157

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 PGK 324

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 PGK 424

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,981 PGK 34.1K

$2,211 PGK 9,443

260.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 PGK 3,169

$475 PGK 2,030

56.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 PGK 6,029

$3,467 PGK 14.8K

-59.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 PGK 3,555

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,132 PGK 9,105

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,965 PGK 16.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 PGK 695

$455 PGK 1,942

-64.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.33

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lae: January 12, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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